Jason Aldean: ACM Entertainer of the Year Is ‘a Road Warrior Award’

Jason Aldean, who has been nominated at the ACM Awards in the category of Entertainer of the Year a total of seven times and has won the title for the past two years, is once again on the list of nominees list in 2018. Ahead of this year's ceremony, Aldean reflected to The Boot and other media outlets that, while it's an honor to be recognized, he tries not to think of awards ceremonies as a measure for his success.

"I feel like awards are nice to have. I'm flattered whenever we get nominated for one of these things, because we don't always get nominated for stuff, and it does mean a lot of me that people are voting for us," Aldean explains. "On the flip side, if I had never won an award, I don't think that would mean my career was a failure.

"I don't need the awards to validate my career, but they are a nice thing to have. It does make you feel good to get that pat on the back from the industry. And it makes it a whole lot more exciting to go to an awards show," he continues with a laugh.

Aldean goes on to say that the Entertainer of the Year trophy is a particularly meaningful title, as winning that award had been a long-time personal goal of his: "When I started in this business, there were two things I wanted: a platinum record on my wall, and I thought it'd be really cool to win Entertainer of the Year," he says.

According to Aldean, the category stands out from other titles and honors because of it ultimately speaks to a performer's ability to engage with a crowd: "To me, that's a road warrior award," Aldean clarifies. "It's about being on the road, entertaining people at your shows."

This year, Aldean joins Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban on the nominees list for ACM Entertainer of the Year. When asked who he would vote for if he couldn't vote for himself, Aldean admitted that it was a tough decision to make.

"Everybody's different, that's the thing," he said. "You've got Garth, who's out there selling out multiple nights. And Stapleton? He's the best singer in town. None of the rest of us can sing like that guy. Urban is definitely one of the best musicians in town. But from the standpoint of the sheer number of people that show up to the live shows, the guy that's out there selling tickets like crazy, I think that would have to be Luke. Or Garth. They're the ones out there doing it on a big level."

The 2018 ACM Awards are set to take place in Las Vegas and air live on CBS beginning at 8PM ET. The ceremony will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.